


Evangelion, the Supernal Art

by grommile



Category: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Genre: Age Swap, Alternate Universe, Magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:21:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24899830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grommile/pseuds/grommile
Summary: Shiro Katsuragi brought science to sorcery.Shiro Katsuragi died by science and sorcery, and after him, half the world.Misato Katsuragi never knew her father, but his legacy is hers to deal with, his relics hers to wield, and his lore hers to learn.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	Evangelion, the Supernal Art

There is no magic.

The forces commanded by ritual, will, and sacred geometry are as real and quantifiable as those that govern chemistry and nuclear fission.

The challenge is to measure and predict them. Once we have achieved that, mastery is simply a matter of time and effort.

— Dr. Shiro Katsuragi, Old Tokyo, 1993

* * *

**New Tokyo, 23 July 2015**

In a cramped apartment paid for by a widow's pension, a teenage girl called Misato Katsuragi stood in her bedroom in an outfit that would have given her mother conniptions if she were awake to see it, trying to convince herself that the girl in the mirror looked old enough to get into a bar.

She shifted this way and that, trying to find a pose or an angle that actually looked cool enough to work. She grabbed the packet of cigarettes she'd filched from Aunt Sadako's purse and stuck one in her mouth, hoping to get some kind of sukeban cool going on, but in the end, even with her hair dyed purple, she still looked as young as she was.

She grabbed the cheap gas lighter she'd bought at the convenience store and crept past her dozing mother to the front door. At least she could try this part out. Maybe she would be more convincing if she got the hang of it.

As she stepped out onto the access balcony, a thunderclap announced the arrival of the evening rain. Grateful that they didn't live on the top floor, she struck the lighter a few times without success before working out she needed to press down the little plastic bit while she was striking it. The fitful yellow flame touched paper and tobacco, and she sucked on the cigarette for all she was worth.

Which, it turned out, wasn't much.

She doubled over in a coughing fit as the smoke caught and stung at the back of her throat, and the cigarette landed underfoot and rolled into the puddle that was already forming at the edge of the balcony.

"Excuse me, miss," said an unfamiliar man's voice. "Could I just—"

Misato straightened up and saw some kind of 30ish-looking salaryman with a folded umbrella hooked over one arm, apparently reaching for his wallet. "Hey, are you looking for compensated dating or something? Because I don't do that."

He sighed and pulled out some kind of ID card. There were Latin letters across the top, spelling out 'NERV', and a photo that was as bad as usual for ID cards. "Ikari. Shinji Ikari. I'm looking for the Katsuragi residence, but half the apartments are missing their numbers."

"You're a little young to be one of Dad's cronies," said Misato, guessing wildly. The suit was nice enough there couldn't be any other explanation. "What were you, his student?"

"So you're Dr Katsuragi's daughter? My mother really admired him."

"Did she really admire the way he got himself blown to gods know where the week after I was conceived, Mr Ikari?"

"No. No, she didn't." Ikari looked out at the rain. "Your father was... a great pioneer in his field."

"Shame he didn't do something safe. Or at least with a decent pension," snapped Misato. "What do you _want_?"

He reached into his jacket and pulled out a letter. "We want you to come to Tokyo-3. This explains why."

She grabbed the letter from his hand and opened it.

"Dear Miss Katsuragi,

"You are one of a very few people in this world with the potential to fight Angels. We would like to invite you to come to NERV headquarters in Tokyo-3, learn how to make full use of that potential, and join us in the fight against the Angels.

"We cannot guarantee your safety. It is possible that you will die. But you will have a better chance of surviving an Angel attack as a combatant than anyone without your potential would have as a bystander.

"In exchange, you will be given full room and board, a generous stipend, and guaranteed access to the best civilian education available.

"Regardless of your decision, we are making arrangements to improve your household's monetary situation and your mother's access to medical care. My predecessors' neglect of your family was reprehensible, and the remedy for that cannot justly be made dependent on your acceptance of our request. I greatly regret that I was not informed of your situation earlier.

"This request is made under the special provisions of the United Nations Accord on Underage Combatants, and copies have been lodged with the United Nations and the Japanese government accordingly.

"As NERV's official representative, Mr Ikari is authorized to record your response, file the necessary paperwork, and cover your expenses for the journey to Tokyo-3. At your option, he can drive you back to Tokyo-3 in his car rather than you making your own way.

"Yours sincerely, Kouzou Fuyutsuki, Director General of NERV."

Misato looked up from the letter. "So you want me to put my life on the line fighting those _things_ we see on the news?"

He nodded. "That is what we want. I wish it wasn't."

"I'm fourteen! Who the hell asks a fourteen-year-old to do _that_?"

"Some of us weren't asked when _we_ were fourteen." He looked off into the rain again, rubbing his arm. "You can refuse. We won't force you to come to Tokyo-3."

Misato looked back down at the letter. "How many?"

Ikari blinked and shook his head. There was something odd about the look in his eyes. "How many?"

"How many people are you asking to do this?"

"More than we want. Fewer than we need."

"Do I really have a choice?"

"If you say no, we'll do what the letter says, and allow you to go about your life. Your mother's pension will be increased, and her medical bills will be covered in full."

"You said you don't have enough people."

"We don't. But still."

"Can I have a moment?"

"Of course." He smiled. It was a sad-looking smile, but it was still a smile.


End file.
